Road marker



April 23, 1935. w. GLASGOW 1,998,502

ROAD MARKER Filed April 25, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYJ PatentedApr. 23, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT; OFFICE 16 Claims.

that theresulting paint line or stripe is even,-

clear and clean cut in its outline. The machine is adapted to applythese paintlines to the road surface at a rapid rate of speed.

My invention may be embodied in a portable road marker adapted fordriving and operation by a single operator or it may be embodied in aroad marker adapted primarily to be connected as a trailer in the rearof a truck or tractor to be drawn thereby. In the first instance thepaint spray mechanism and paint tank is carried by the road markeritself while in the second instance the source of paint supply andpressure machinery may be, carried by the truck and may communicate withpaint spray mechanism carried by the marker.

A meritorious feature of my invention consists in the provision ofrotatable road engagingwheels or discs arranged to determine the widthof the paint stripe and adapted to produce a clear, clean cut paintstripe and which are automatically adjustable or floating toaccommodate-for variations in the surface of the road so as to normallymaintain contact therewith and are axially adjustable to vary the widthof the paint stripe. The road marker is wheel supported and the paintdiscs are preferably coupled with the road wheels of the marker to bedriven thereby and means are provided for'continuously cleaning thediscsduring the working operation.

' An object therefore is the provision of self cleaning means forlimiting or determining the width of the paint stripe to be applied tothe road which produces a paint 'stripe'having a clean,-

even outline.

The above objects and others, together with various meritorious featuresand advantages of my invention will more fully-appearfrom the followingspecification, appended claims and accompanying drawings, wherein,

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of my invention embodied in a portable handoperated road marker.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of my invention'embodied in a road markeradapted to be coupled toatrucktobedrawnthereby.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through one of the road wheels of the markerand' the paint discs showing the paint spray nozzle and the disccleaning members in elevation.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a fragment of the 5 marker showing thediscs and cleaning members illustrated Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a'side elevation of one of the discs and its supporting axis.

Fig. 6 is an elevation of a fragment of one of 10 the cleaning membersand its support.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings a truck I0 is illustrated as coupled bysuitable means such as connections I2 with my improved marker to drawthe same. The truck carries suitable air pressure developing machineryl4 and a paint tank I6 which are connected by feed lines l8 and withpaint spray mechanism 22 carried by the marker so that paint underpressure may be supplied to the paint spray mechanism and a properamount 20 of air under pressure may be employed to produce the desiredspray. My invention does not relate to this apparatus and it is shownmerely as of a conventional character. I

In Fig. 1 my improved marker is of the port-' 5 able-type wherein thereis an air tank H4 and a paint tank 6 carried thereby which accomplishesthe same purpose as the paint tank and air pressure mechanism carried bythe truck in Fig. 2. The air pressure tank H4 is, of course, filled andreplenished. from a suitable source as and when desired. Suitabledeliveryv lines H8 and I20 lead from the air and paint tank to paintspray mechanism I22 of a type similar to that shown in Fig. 2 g

The marker in each instance comprises a rigid frame structure 30provided with a pair of supporting front road wheels 32 and a trailingroad wheel 34 and a handle 36 by means of .which the course of travel ofthe marker may be guided. 4 uitable control devices such as valves 38and a hand operated control 40, all of a conventional character, areprovided to regulate the discharge of the. paint spray. r The paintspray mechanism terminates in a nozzle portion 4| which is adapted todirect a spray of'paint upon the'surface ,of the road between the roadwheels 32 and between a pair of rotatable discs 42. Eachof these discsis supported by a hub structure, comprising a pair of I plates 44 '(seeFig. 3) arranged on opposite sides of the discs and tied together bysuitable means such as screws. These hub plates 44 are held in spacedapart relationship by a spacer plate 48 which is provided with a seriesof circumferentially arranged radially projecting lugs or ears 50normally disposed within recesses 52 arranged about an axial aperture 54in the disc 42, whereby the disc 42 is freely adjustable upon the plate48 between the hub disc 44 with respect to the supporting axis of thediscs to accommodate for variations in the surface of the road overwhich the disc 42 travels.

The discs 42 are mounted upon a long hub 56 carried by the road wheel32. The discs 42 are held in spaced apart relationship upon this hub andthis distance may be varied as the discs are axially adjustable upon thehub. Each disc is shown as provided with an adjustment screw 58extending through a flange formed on one of the hub plates 44 to securethe discs to rotate with the hub 56. The hub 56, which is a part of thewheel 32, is rotatable freely over a tubular member 60 which is carriedby the stationary axle portion 62 which is provided at its outer endwith a wheel retaining nut 64. v

It will be apparent that the discs are rotatably driven by the wheel 32and that they rotate over the pavement of the road and have a permittedplay to accommodate for variations in the surface of such a pavementwhereby contact is normally maintained on the road surface regardless ofirregularity which may elevate one road wheel with respect to theopposite road wheel, and that the paint spray mechanism 4| delivers aspray of paint between the discs 42, the spread of which is limited bythe discs so that the width of the resulting paint stripe may beregulated by the adjustment of the discs. The discs might be said tofloat on the axle to maintain this road contact.

The road engaging peripheries of the discs are normally kept clean bythe rotation of the discs over the road so that the margin of the paintstripe is clean cut in outline. To thoroughly clean the discs during theworking operation I prefer to provide, however, cleaning members, onefor each disc, which comprise a scraper '66 having an end portion 68overhanging the margin of the disc. Each scraper 66 is carried by a'pairof supporting arms 69. Each arm is slidably arranged within a bearing 10which terminates in a housing 12 carried by a main sleeve 14. A spring16 is arranged within this housing and bears against an enlarged end 18of the arm 69, exerting a pressure thereon tending to hold the scraper66 against the paint sprayed face of the disc 42. r

This entire scraper assembly is carried by a bracket secured by acoupling 82 upon the tubular shaft 60 and this bracket terminates in asupporting portion 84 having an end plate 86 upon which is slidablyarranged the sleeve 14 which is held toward the end plate 86 by a spring88 so that the end portion 68of the scraper elements are held at alltimes against the periphcries of the discs 42. v

This construction and arrangement of the scraper devices serves toremove any excess of paint from the paint sprayed surface or peripheriesof the discs 42 so as, to keep such discs clean during the working ofthe mechanism.

What I claim is: v

1. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of floating parallelspaced apart rotatable road engaging discs, and paint spray mechanismarranged to deliver a spray of paint upon the surface of the roadbetween said discs.

2. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of parallel spacedapart rotatable road engaging discs individually verticallyautomatically adjustable to accommodate for variations of the roadsurface, and paint spray mechanism arranged to deliver a spray of paintupon the surface of' the road between said discs.

3. A road marker comprising, in combination, an axle provided with roadwheels supported thereon to rotate the axle, a pair of parallel spacedapart rotatable road engaging discs cari ried by the axle to rotatetherewith automatically 5 vertically adjustable with respect to saidroad wheels to accommodate for variations of the road surface, and paintspray mechanism arranged, to deliver a spray of paint upon the surfaceof the road between said discs.

4. A road marker comprising, in combination,

-a pair of parallel spaced apart rotatable road,

engaging relatively axially adjustable discs, road wheels supporting thediscs and coupled therewith to drive the discs, said discs supported tofloat automatically with respect to said road wheels to accommodate forvariations in the roadsurface, and means for delivering a spray of paintupon the surface of the road between said discs, the spread of which isto be limited by said discs.

5. A road marker vehicle having, in combination, supporting road wheels,a pair of parallel spaced apart rotatable road engaging discs arrangedintermediate said wheels and supported, to float. with respect theretoto normally maintain contact with the road surface, paint spray,mechanism arranged to deliver a spray of paint upon the surface of theroad between said discs, and road wheels supporting said paint spraymechanism and said discs and coupled with the discs to rotate the discs.

6. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of parallel spacedapart rotatable road engaging discs, paint spray mechanism arranged todeliver a spray of paint upon the surface of the road between saiddiscs, road wheels supporting said paint spray mechanism and said discsand coupled with the discs to rotate the discs, said discs beingsupported to float vertically to maintain by gravity surface contactwith the road to accommodate for variations in the road surface.

'7. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of spaced apartdiscs supported for rotatable travel over the road, means for deliveringa spray of paint between said discs, the spread of which will be limitedbythe discs, and a scraper held yieldingly in contact with the peripheryof each disc and held yieldingly against the.inner surface of the discadjacent to the periphery.

8. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of spaced apartdiscs supported for rotatable travel over the road, means for deliveringa spray of paint between said discs the spread of which will be limitedby the discs, a pair of scrapers, one for each disc, arranged betweensaid discs, means holding each scraper yieldingly against the paintsprayed surface of its disc, each scraper so formed as to also engagethe periphery of its disc, and means holding each scraper yieldinglyagainst the periphery of its discs.

9. A roadmarker comprising, in combination, a frame provided withrotatable road wheels, paint spray mechanism carried by the frameadapted to deliver a spray of paint on the surface: of the road betweensaid wheels and an axle member supporting a pair of independentlylaterally adjustable rotatable road engaging'elements arranged to limitthe spread of said paint spray. each element being vertically floatingwith respect to said road wheels.

,justable, a scraper yieldingly engaging the inner face and peripheralface of each disc, and paint spray means arranged to deliver a spray ofpaint upon the road surface between said discs 12. A road markercomprising, in combination, a pair of supporting ground wheels, one ofWhlgh includes a hub portion extending along a substantial length of asupporting wheel axle, a pair of ground engaging discs supported on saidhub portion for independent axial adjustment along the length thereofand to float vertically with respect thereto, and means for discharginga spray of paint upon the ground between said discs.

13. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of supportingground wheels, one of which includes a hub portion extending along asubstantial length of a supporting wheel axle, a pair of ground engagingdiscs supported on said hub portion to rotate therewith and to floatvertically with relation thereto, each of said discs bein independentlyaxially adjustable along the length of said hub portion, means fordischarging a spray of paint upon the ground between said discs, and ascraper yleldingly enga in the inner face of each of said discs.

14. A road marker comprising, in combination, a pair of parallel spacedapart rotatable road engaging discs individually verticallyautomatically adjustable to accommodate for variations of the roadsurface, paint spray mechanism arranged to deliver. a spray of paintupon the surface of the road between said discs, a pair of scrapersarranged between said discs, one for each disc, each scraper having aportion adapted to engage the edge of the disc and a portion adapted toengage the inner side of the disc adjacent its edge, means yieldinglyholding said scraper against the inner face of its disc, and meansyieldingly holding said two scrapers as a unit against the edges of saidtwo discs.

15. Ina highway marker, 'the combination with a spray gun fordischarging marking material towards the highway and rotating disksmounted for movement towards and from each other for confining theapplication of the marking material on the highway to a stripe ofpredetermined width, of means for removing excess marking material fromthe inside faces and peripheral edges of the disks.

16. A road marker comprising, in combination,

a pair of spaced apart disks supported-for rotatable travel over theroad, means for delivering a spray of paint between said disks wherebythe spread of paint will be limited by the disks, and means yieldablypositioned adjacent each disk for scraping the excess material from theperiphery thereof.

' CHESTER W. GLASGOW.

